Rebuilding of the village had been completed, and the rain had stopped. The time of madness had ended after three long months of constant rain that fell day and night. The rain had made his training with Castra dreadful, but the training with the woman had bore its fruits.
Michael shifted his position on the stack of hay he was hiding behind. Now that the rain had stopped, the villagers had made many haystacks across the villages.
As he waited for his quarry to arrive, Michael focused on his Nexuses—two gold earrings that dangled from his earlobes. He summoned his status window, as Liam had taught him. The interface appeared before him with a soft glow of cyan that only he could see.
…
Name: Michael Twain
Primary Class A: [Axe-Hunter] Level 4
Primary Class B: [Mage] Level 16
Secondary Class: None
Attributes: None
Skill Points: 20
Nexus Shard (Extended): Last Call
Nexus Shard (Personal): None
Mana Concentration: Fire, Earth, Infusion, Destruction, Space, Array
Unique Skill: [Mark of Twain]
Active Skill: [Flight], [Air Slash]
Passive Skill: [Lesser Reflex], [Dangersense]
…
During his training with Castra, His [Master Hunter] class had evolved into [Axe-Hunter], and his [High Practitioner] class had ascended to [Mage]. He was already halfway there to reach the maximum level cap of the [Mage] class. The most baffling part about his high level in the [Mage] class was that Castra had only taught him one spell, [Ice Bullet].
The spell combined the theory behind [Thermo Domain] and [Condense Water], among other things. He and Castra had worked together to create this spell.
During the creation process of the spell, Castra had wanted him to generate something like an ice spike. However, no matter how much he tried, Michael could not banish the image of bullets fired by those ancient guns back at home from his mind. In the end, the spell became a small projectile of ice that looked like a crystal bullet. It was a quirky spell, but effective, one that Castra had raised an eyebrow at but ultimately accepted.
When Castra had asked him what a bullet was, he had given her the same, cool smile the woman had the habit of giving when she was being mysterious. He had thought, why not act the same mysterious way for once? That had not gone well for him. The woman had… Nope! Michael did not want to think about it. The memory was… too much. He shivered.
Yes, Castra had not taught him spells, but he had learned a few of them from Isha and Nairobi. He now knew both [Fireball] and [Lightning Shot] and a few other spells. In return, he had taught them [Thermo Domain]. Nairobi learned the spell with flying colours. Isha had some difficulty, but she managed as well. Even Liam finally managed to learn the spell, though the range of temperature he could summon was pathetic.
However, it wasn't the spells that he had learned from Isha and Nairobi that were responsible for his levels in [Mage] class. It was the training that Castra gave, training to enhance his mana control. Even Liam had given him a few lessons on that matter. Liam's method had worked just as well as Castra's, sometimes better than hers.Michael refocused on his status window. Secondary Class, Attribute, and Nexus Shard with personal tag were all greyed out. When he had asked what Attribute and Personal Nexus Shard was, Castra's answer had been a non-answer. "You will learn them at the Academy."
The [Great Mage] always baulked at the idea of giving information. What kind of teacher was she? Michael had often asked that question in his head for the past three months.
In the end, it didn't matter. Isha easily gave him the answer. "When someone advances their primary class beyond Level 30 Cap, their Nexus manifests into Personal Nexus Shard. Personal Nexus Shards are always stronger than Extended Nexus Shards."
He had two Nexuses, one for each primary class. Did that mean he could manifest two Personal Nexus Shard? Michael had asked that question to himself a far too many times as well. He hoped it was true, otherwise what good was having two primary classes?
Shaking his head, Michael continued assessing his status, sadly he had gained no new skill even after the battle with the Titan Spawns. Finally, he studied the list of his Mana Concentration. The list had been blank before Castra had tested him.
Mana Concentration: Fire, Earth, Infusion, Destruction, Space, Array
Mana concentration, sometimes known as the School of Magic, was nothing more than an aptitude of Mana. The List of his Mana concentration signified the types of spell he would be best at. Of course, he could still channel other schools of magic as well, he simply would not be just as good at them.
Michael specifically focused on the word Infusion. He had vaguely understood about other of his Mana Concentration, but Infusion Mana had raised questions in him. What was it for?
Again, Castra had not been forthcoming.
"All I know is that Infusion Mana is necessary for creating Magical Items and for alchemy. I know there are other uses, but I do not know what they are," Isha had said.
Apparently, her mother had not bothered to teach her about Infusion Mana and her father had been occupied on other matters. She would not tell him what, and the grief in her eyes had stopped him from asking any questions. She must have lost someone important.
"Are you even listening to me?" Liam said.Michael blinked and shook himself out of his reverie. "What?" he asked. He had completely forgotten Liam was with him.
Liam made a sound in his throat. "I asked what we are doing here, hiding behind a haystack?"
Michael's face broke into a mischievous smile. "We're waiting for Nairobi."
"Nairobi? Why?"
"Nairobi has this bad habit of sticking to a schedule. She always passes by this road at this time of day."
Liam still looked confused. "That did not explain my question. And why here?"
"And spoil the fun?" Michael said, grinning like a fool. "Wait and see."
It did not take long for Nairobi—armoured with diamond—like carapace to appear on the road.
Michael was ready. He focused, drawing on his Air Mana, and then directed it toward a heap of cow dung discarded by the roadside. With a small flow of magical energy, so as not to alert Nairobi, he synergised a spell. The dung exploded like a grenade, sending excrement splattering through the air with a satisfying squelch, painting Nairobi from head to toe.
Nairobi screamed. Michael did not think it was out of startlement. It was probably because of the smell and the taste. Some of the dung had landed on her mouth. Perfect!
Michael did not regret his action. The woman deserved it. She had done far worse to him and called it pranks. Michael intended to repay her for each one of them.
Turnabout is fair play!
"Michael, you son of a bitch," she screamed.
A [Fireball] shot toward Michael, blazing with Nairobi's fury. Without missing a beat, he used [Condense Water] and doused the spell, releasing steam and mist into the air.
"You think you have grown competent enough to cross me?" She growled. "I will show you otherwise!"
Michael sprinted away, dodging another spell as it hurtled in his direction. His laughter rang out as he dashed through the village, with Liam struggling to keep up beside him.
"Michael, you are a lunatic," Liam said, running next to him. "She will kill us for this."
Though he said that, Liam looked delighted.
Michael laughed heartily. "Who knew messing with Nairobi could be so much fun?"